Dragon Duke and Snake Granny

The dragon head atop the old man's staff looked lifelike, its craftsmanship exquisite.

The Soul Power radiating from him was far more terrifying than the old woman's...

Eight Soul Rings revolved slowly around him.

Two yellow, three purple, and three black. He was a top-tier Soul Douluo.

Just feeling the pressure of the old man's Soul Power made Lu Mingfei's own power tremble inside him.

Soul Douluo were rare across the entire Douluo Continent, yet one had come to Dragon Valley to watch over a young girl.

Standing beside Lu Mingfei, Huang Fei fixed her gaze on the elderly couple, her pupils narrowing slightly.

She lowered her voice, a rare gravity in her tone. "Dragon Duke Meng Shu and Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang—the Peerless Dragon and Snake. This couple is renowned throughout the Soul Master World. Their Martial Soul Fusion Skill, Dragon-Snake Strike, is said to let them challenge a Titled Douluo despite the difference in rank. That girl is their granddaughter."

Something stirred in Lu Mingfei's mind.

He had seen the names of the Peerless Dragon and Snake in an appendix to Basic Knowledge of Soul Masters.

The entry had been brief, but anyone included in a textbook compiled by Spirit Hall was no ordinary figure.

He looked again at the green-clad girl fighting the Mandala Snake, and a name suddenly came to mind.

Meng Yiran.

If he remembered correctly, Meng Yiran was the couple's granddaughter. She was talented enough to go toe-to-toe with Tang San in the future.

At this point, though, Meng Yiran should still be acquiring her Second Soul Ring.

This Mandala Snake, which carried Dragon Clan blood, was clearly the target she had chosen for it.

The battle in the center of the valley continued.

Meng Yiran and the Mandala Snake had already exchanged more than a dozen blows.

The snake-headed cane in her hand thrust, swept, and flicked upward. With her bonelessly supple waist, she slipped freely through the gaps in the giant snake's attacks.

But the Mandala Snake was enormous, and its scales were tough. Sharp as her Tongue Blade was, she could not pierce a vital spot.

As the fight wore on, the snake grew more violent and attacked faster. Fine beads of sweat had appeared on Meng Yiran's forehead.

"Yiran, use your throwing knives!" Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang called, her voice steady and firm.

Meng Yiran understood. She feinted with the Serpent Cane in her right hand, forcing the snake's lunging jaws back. Her left hand swept across her waist, and several throwing knives, thin as cicada wings, appeared between her fingers.

With a flick of her wrist, the knives flashed toward the snake in a triangular formation. One flew at its eye, one at its neck, and one at the soft underside of its belly...

The Mandala Snake hissed and whipped its head aside, dodging the knife aimed at its eye. The other two struck true.

The knife aimed at its neck lodged between its scales.

The one aimed at its belly sank in to the hilt. Green, venomous blood welled from the wound.

The Mandala Snake let out a shrill cry. Its huge body thrashed and rolled across the ground, its tail sweeping out and smashing a millstone-sized rock to pieces.

Meng Yiran seized the opening and rushed forward, raising her snake-headed cane high. Blue light blazed along the Tongue Blade.

She aimed at the wound the throwing knife had opened in the snake's belly and drove the Tongue Blade in like a striking viper.

The Mandala Snake's struggles stopped at once.

Its massive body went rigid for an instant.

Its golden slit pupils slowly lost focus. Then it crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of dust.

A bright yellow ring of light rose from the snake's corpse and slowly revolved.

This Yellow Soul Ring was a few shades deeper than the one Yu Tianjiao had just absorbed, and its aura was richer. It was clearly older—around seven hundred years, by Lu Mingfei's estimate.

Meng Yiran planted her snake-headed cane on the ground and gulped for air.

Dust and blood stained her small face, but her large brown eyes shone with the satisfaction and pride of a successful hunt.

She turned and gave Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang a triumphant smile. Chao Tianxiang smiled back and nodded, her face full of affection.

"Sit cross-legged. Meditate and absorb the Soul Ring."

Dragon Duke Meng Shu's voice was low and even, carrying unquestionable authority.

Meng Yiran sat cross-legged as instructed, rested her hands on her knees, and closed her eyes.

The bright yellow Soul Ring drifted down above her head, then turned into a streak of light and entered her body.

Her brow furrowed slightly. Her breaths grew long and slow, and sweat kept forming on her forehead. Absorbing a seven-hundred-year Soul Ring was clearly no easy task for her.

But her foundation was solid. About half an hour later, her expression eased, and a faint smile touched her lips.

She opened her eyes, rose to her feet, and let out a long breath.

"Show us your Soul Rings."

Leaning on her cane, Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang walked forward.

Meng Yiran nodded and tapped her snake-headed cane on the ground. Soul Power surged around her.

Two yellow Soul Rings appeared and pulsed above and below each other. Their bright light played across her, giving her an air of spirited confidence.

Then her body began to change...

In that instant, her waist and torso became supple to an almost unbelievable degree.

She twisted lightly in a way no ordinary human body should have been able to, as though she had no bones at all.

"Second Soul Skill, Serpent Form."

Excitement filled Meng Yiran's voice. "It makes my body as soft and flexible as a snake's. I can dodge and attack even in extremely tight spaces, and my speed increases by several tenths while I'm in Serpent Form."

Snake Granny Chao Tianxiang nodded in satisfaction and patted Meng Yiran's shoulder. "Good. A seven-hundred-year Dragonblood Mandala Snake. This Soul Skill pairs very well with your first.

"Tongue Blade is for attacking, while Serpent Form gives you evasion and mobility. You can attack and defend. This trip to Dragon Valley was worth it."

Meng Yiran giggled, withdrew her Martial Soul, and skipped over to Dragon Duke Meng Shu to act spoiled.

The girl who had been so fierce moments ago now seemed like any other teenager. Clinging to her grandfather's arm, she swung it back and forth and clamored to go home for something tasty.

Dragon Duke Meng Shu fondly rubbed her head. His gaze drifted toward where Lu Mingfei and Huang Fei were hiding, but he said nothing.

Leaning on his four-meter-long dragon-headed staff, he led his granddaughter and the old woman out along the valley path. His steps were unhurried, and they soon vanished into the mist.

Lu Mingfei poked his head out from behind the vines. Watching Meng Yiran skip away, he felt the corner of his mouth twitch.

He silently compared himself with the two people who had just acquired Soul Rings.

Yu Tianjiao was seven years old, at level ten, and had absorbed a five-hundred-year Soul Ring.